Manager, Customer Segments & Affinity Partnerships

Address:

As part of BMO’s North American Retail Payments, the Partnerships team manages several existing partnerships and has the mandate to develop and grow new partnerships that are aligned with our strategic vision to provide value add benefits to our BMO credit cardholders

The Manager, Customer Segments & Affinity Partnerships is responsible for leading the end-to-end strategy, performance, and lifecycle for all Customer segments: Military, Students and MLS programs and Affinity Partnerships. This role drives portfolio depth, segment-level acquisition and engagement strategies, and supports modernization or wind-down of legacy relationships. The manager will develop and execute customer segments and Affinity-specific growth strategies, deepen customer penetration, support value-added benefit positioning, and ensure alignment with BMO's broader card strategy and Ambition 2030 priorities. In partnership with Marketing, Product, Finance, cross-enterprise teams, and Segment Partners, the role ensures strong segment performance, data-driven decision making, and enhancements that improve customer experience, portfolio value, and long-term growth.

Accountabilities:

Lead and execute customer segment strategies (Student, Military, MLS) to drive credit card acquisition, engagement and portfolio depth.

• Develop annual Customer segment growth plans and channel strategies aligned to BMO’s credit card objectives.
• Work closely with the everyday banking segments team to find synergies to grow Segments and drive overall card penetration Optimize segment value propositions, embedded benefits, and lifecycle strategy to deepen penetration and drive sustainable growth.
• Support the tracking of expected benefits due to projects delivered by the team.

Manage and modernize Affinity partnerships to improve customer experience, value, and alignment to BMO’s credit card and loyalty strategy.

• Continue to optimize Affinity partnerships by enabling their channels to drive card acquisition.
• Refresh Affinity partner models, benefits, and economics where relevant to support long-term sustainability.
• Ensure alignment to credit card and loyalty strategy, including benefit positioning and customer experience enhancements.
• Monitor competitive dynamics and recommend segment/Affinity improvements that elevate value perception.
• Effectively manage all contractual requirements for Affinity.

Drive cross-functional delivery and governance for segment-specific initiatives and Affinity partnerships.

• Liaise with other lines of business including other areas of the payments team and other teams within Personal & Business Banking (Acquisition, Small Business, Customer Engagement, Operations, Analytics, Marketing, Distribution).
• Manage risk related to the portfolio and ensure compliance with all laws, rules and BMO policies.
• Maintain performance transparency through regular reporting and documentation.

Management of day-to-day relationships with existing Affinity Partnerships and Customer Segments team.

• Effectively manage the day-to-day operations of partnerships and Affinity products.
• Act as the primary relationship lead for Cards Segments: Students, Military and MLS.
• Ensure that contractual and partner commitments are met.
• Deliver an annual plan for priorities and goals for each Affinity Partner annually.
• Work collaboratively with other areas of the payments business as the P&L owner for Affinity products.

Support modernization, migration and lifecycle transitions across customer segments.

• Oversee customer migrations, graduate bridge programming, school card transitions, and other modernization streams.
• Protect customer experience through proactive readiness planning, communications, and alignment with internal and external teams
• evaluate legacy program performance and recommend opportunities to refine consolidate or sunset where needed

Qualifications:

Knowledge

• Minimum undergraduate university degree, an MBA or other post-graduate degree, or equivalent industry related experience preferred
• 3+ years credit card product management experience
• 2+ years partner relationship management experience
• Management consulting or Strategy experience preferred
• Strong track record delivering results in ambiguous and challenging situations
• P&L management experience preferred
• Data fluency is an asset

Skills

• Excellent business acumen and strategic planning
• Negotiation, business / partnership development, value creation
• Strong financial, quantitative, analytic and business casing skills
• Proven ability to establish conducive working relationships with partners and managers across different business units and groups
• Proven ability to influence without authority and drive change
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written) with ability to frame and effectively communicate complex problems
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Proven ability to manage multiple facets of a complex business and effectively prioritize the most important business levers and initiatives
• Strong time management and project management skills
• Team-oriented, collaborative and flexible
• Strong attention to detail

The above represents BMO Financial Group’s pay range and type.

Salaries will vary based on factors such as location, skills, experience, education, and qualifications for the role, and may include a commission structure. Salaries for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on number of hours regularly worked. For commission roles, the salary listed above represents BMO Financial Group’s expected target for the first year in this position.

BMO Financial Group’s total compensation package will vary based on the pay type of the position and may include performance-based incentives, discretionary bonuses, as well as other perks and rewards. BMO also offers health insurance, tuition reimbursement, accident and life insurance, and retirement savings plans. To view more details of our benefits, please visit: https://jobs.bmo.com/global/en/Total-Rewards

About Us

At BMO we are driven by a shared Purpose: Boldly Grow the Good in business and life. It calls on us to create lasting, positive change for our customers, our communities and our people. By working together, innovating and pushing boundaries, we transform lives and businesses, and power economic growth around the world.

As a member of the BMO team you are valued, respected and heard, and you have more ways to grow and make an impact. We strive to help you make an impact from day one – for yourself and our customers. We’ll support you with the tools and resources you need to reach new milestones, as you help our customers reach theirs. From in-depth training and coaching, to manager support and network-building opportunities, we’ll help you gain valuable experience, and broaden your skillset.

To find out more visit us at https://jobs.bmo.com/ca/en.

BMO is committed to an inclusive, equitable and accessible workplace. By learning from each other’s differences, we gain strength through our people and our perspectives. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To request accommodation, please contact your recruiter.

Note to Recruiters: BMO does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from a candidate. Any unsolicited resumes sent to BMO, directly or indirectly, will be considered BMO property. BMO will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited resume. A recruiting agency must first have a valid, written and fully executed agency agreement contract for service to submit resumes.